As with the Body suit, these bermuda shorts from Odlo are probably going to provoke a Marmite-esque love or hate reaction in people. Personally, I love them, but I've already been accused of dubious taste, so decide for yourself!

They are a baggy style short, primarily aimed at the mountain biking sorority, but as with most baggies, suitable to more relaxed casual style street riding as well.

They come in a variety of colour options such as striped, hot pink and even basic black. I particularly liked the striped colourway, as it reminded me subtly of deckchairs in a retro summery way. The hot pink looks great too.

The outers are a stretch fabric that is well cut, and features one of my favourite waistband details, a Velcro waist adjuster, so there's no gaping at the back of the waist- although there are belt loops for those who like a belt.

There are two side pockets, two rear Velcro pockets, a small zipped pocket in one thigh and venting holes in the legs that are also a design feature.

The liner shorts are made from highly breathable stretch mesh fabric, and are easily removable with a press stud and loop fastening to the outers to secure them in place. They have soft leg grippers and a good quality female specific synthetic pad which uses Odlo's 'High Protection' design which is their medium level of pad.

Given that they are baggies, these are definitely best suited to wear on more upright bikes such as hybrids and tourers or mountain bikes, but as such they are an extremely comfortable option.

The outer shorts have a good amount of flex in the fabric to prevent any feeling of constriction on the thighs when riding, and the inner shorts have a pad that works well, giving good levels of comfort for rides short or long. The pad moulds well to the body and isn't too bulky, yet does the trick nicely at improving ride comfort.

£130 is a lot for a pair of shorts, but they are available for less in some places (Wiggle currently have them on sale for £104). What you are paying for is technology advanced enough that AG2R were racing in Odlo kit, and a genuinely different looking product, not just another black pair of baggy cycling shorts.

They are well made and they will last well too. Just make sure you can outride the fashion police!

Verdict

Casual beach style short with a performance liner for laid back summery rides, but at a price.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Odlo Loop Bermudas

Size tested: Size Med/Striped

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Aimed at mountain bikers and riders who demand technical performance from a padded short but in a casual package.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Outer

86% polyester/14% elastane

Liner short

92% polyamide/8% elastane

2 side pockets

2 rear velcro pockets

1 thigh zipped pockets

reflective accents

Waist adjusters

Machine washable at 30

Available in sizes XS-XXL (size Med roughly equivalent to UK12)

Rate the product for quality of construction:

9/10

Excellent fabrics and well made.

Rate the product for performance:

9/10

Good quality comfortable pad and good moisture transport from both inner and outer shorts.

Rate the product for durability:

7/10

Good quality fabric but lightweight and therefore slightly less durable.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:

8/10

Very light.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:

9/10

Excellent levels of comfort from both outer and padded liner.

Rate the product for value:

5/10

A lot of money in anyone's book and hard to fully justify it.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

My God they are hideous!
Maybe we should get those caught doping to have to wear these shorts when they return to cycling after serving their supposed 2 year ban. Well the prospect of a ban does not seem to be much of a threat, especially if you argue about it for approx 18 months, maybe the threat of having to wear these in public may do the trick and shame them into laying off the banned substances.

Here's how we roll at road.cc: every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a real insight into whether it works or not. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective, and we strive to ensure that all opinions expressed are backed up by facts, but reviews are always a reviewer's informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores. It reflects both a product's function and value. Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad. Here's what they mean:

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